This invention relates in general to electrical connectors and in particular to a weatherproof protector module for telecommunication circuits.
There are several prior art weatherproof protector modules that utilize insulation displacement connectors (IDC) to interconnect with telecommunication circuits. An IDC connector has a blade with a sharp-edged slit that cuts through the insulation of an inserted wire to establish electrical continuity between the IDC connector and the wire. The protector module has a grounded protector device that connects a telephone subscriber wire to a telephone company wire. Under normal conditions, the protector device will not conduct electricity. If the protector device experiences a voltage overload, it will conduct the overload to ground to prevent the excess voltage from damaging telephone equipment located inside a user facility. Protector devices are usually either a solid state device employing thyristors or two plates with a gap between them and located in a gas-filled chamber.
In general, IDC-type protector modules have increased in size to provide room for multiple stuffer screws or a keyed stuffer to provide a positive insertion of the wires. One type of prior art module uses two screws that protrude into the housing body and take up more space than can be afforded in a smaller protector. Another type of prior art module stuffer does not allow for withdrawal of the subscriber wire because it is desirable to not disturb the customer wire contact once it is made. However, if the subscriber wire must be pulled out, insulation on the subscriber wire, or the subscriber wire itself, may come off and remain in the stuffer.
A third prior art design recognized the need for an IDC in a smaller module. This design also has two stuffer screws, each of which inserts a tip and a ring wire. This configuration allows each screw to stuff one of the larger telephone company wires and one of the smaller subscriber wires. Unfortunately, these screws are positioned so that they balance the xe2x80x9cstuffingxe2x80x9d stresses from side to side but not from front to back. Thus, the load is always unbalanced.
In addition, this type of module only has room for four IDC wire positions since the two screws take up so much space. Two of the IDC wire positions are for telephone company wires and two are for the subscriber wires. There are times when the telephone companies want to provide a jumper wire, but this design does not have enough wire termination positions to allow it. Moreover, this module also stuffs the wires down into an opaque base that hides the wire connections from view. An improved weatherproof protector module for telecommunication circuits would be desirable.
A weatherproof protector module for telecommunication circuits has wire insertion points at are arranged in lateral, forward, and rearward symmetry about a single stuffer screw. The module preferably contains J-shaped insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) with slits for gaging the wires. The symmetry of the module allows the single screw to exert balanced forces every direction as the wires engage the IDCs. The module also contains an insulative gel that is extruded around the wire contact locations when the wires are engaged. A seal insert located at each insertion point and a thixotropic gel prevent the expulsion of the insulative gel from the module after extrusion.